L. Ron Hubbard's death

[Above is Part 1. Continue onto Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5]

The Church of Scientology is loudly voicing their strong resistance to what they call "psych drugs". It is therefore ironic that the founder of Dianetics and Scientology, L Ron Hubbard, was taking a "psych drug" when he died. This is not unusual in itself, since bitter old men often go psychotic when dying. Witnesses testified that Hubbard died acting like a raving lunatic.

This is from the 1983 edition of the Physician's Desk Reference, pg 1571. It was a couple years out of date when Hubbard died. Vistaril is the psych drug found in Hubbard's body.

He had achieved success beyond his wildest dreams; wealth, fame and the adulation of thousands of devoted adherents.

Yet for the last five years of his life, L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, dwelt, a virtual prisoner of his own paranoia,  a recluse in self-imposed exile, on a ranch in the desert of Creston, California. Surrounded by a handful of trusted aides, he handed over the running of his multimillion dollar empire to a chosen few. Even his wife was cut off - after she got out of prison after serving a sentence for her part in the notorious Snow White case, she never saw her husband again.

In fact, few did. Fearing indictment in the Snow White case, Hubbard fled to the desert in the early 80s, leaving behind his role as de facto controller of the Scientology empire and taking with him only a handful of trusted aides, mostly those now-grown messengers from the Commodore's Messenger Org, who had, in some cases literally, grown up under the Machiavellian tutelage of Hubbard, and became his emissaries to the empire he oversaw.

When Hubbard died, everything changed. (duh) I went to the death site (his ranch at Creston, near San Luis Obispo CA) that night along with David Miscavige and some attorneys. Since none of us — including Miscavige — had ever been there, we were met at a restaurant by Pat Broeker who took us to the ranch. We arrived at perhaps 4 a.m. (Hubbard was found dead at about 8 p.m. I was told at 10. We left LA at perhaps 1 a.m. I wasn't always watching the clock, given the circumstances.)

What's amusing in the cult's attempt to DA me is their saying that I went to the ranch along with some gardeners and cooks. Right. Gardeners and cooks were the first to be rushed up that night, before the authorities were called or the body taken away. ROFL! Don't you just love these guys!

Creston was where the story was put together that he had moved on to the next level of research, or however it was worded, when it was announced at the Palladium and to the world. The event was so carefully constructed that no one noticed that something essential was missing, but Ill get to that in a moment. But during the event, I stayed at the ranch to deal with any media who might show up or call. None did and less than 48 hours later, the Challenger space shuttle blew up, bumping news of his death and any serious questions from the media. I was monitoring the TV news via a satellite dish and watched it happen and reported it. While the rest of the world was in shock, DM was happy because we had been bumped from the news. But that is how one comes to view the world at that echelon.

The Independent Scientology movement owed its origins in part to the uncertainty surrounding Hubbard's disappearance in 1980. There was an unwillingness to ascribe the bizarre actions of Church management to the Founder. Many Independents thought Hubbard had died, or even been murdered, and that his name was being used to maintain the authority of the young rulers. It was the new management's apparent betrayal of Hubbard's principles that persuaded many to leave the Church, so that they could better realize what they considered to be Hubbard's aims. Conversely, many of those who stayed in the Church must have believed that the new management really did represent Hubbard. They were almost certainly right.

Rumors of Hubbard's whereabouts circulated freely. He was on Catalina island, or in Missouri; he had taken to the sea again, or was in Ireland. News of repeated applications for entry to Britain (which were always turned down) led to the belief that he was trying to return to Saint Hill. In 1985, two Los Angeles Times journalists bruited it about that Hubbard was just north of Santa Barbara. They came closer than anyone else.

Hubbard died at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, January 24, 1986, at his ranch near Creston, in California. He was attended by his doctor, Eugene Denk, and at least two other Scientologists. Church attorney Earle Cooley, who had defended against the Christofferson-Tichbourne suit, was informed. He advised that nothing be done before his arrival from Los Angeles, when he took charge. Cooley was with Hubbard's body from that moment until the ashes were scattered at sea. The body was kept at the ranch for over eleven hours before being collected by Reis Chapel mortuary in San Luis Obispo on Saturday morning. The mortuary notified the coroner's office, concerned that Cooley had made a request for immediate cremation. Dr. Denk reported that Hubbard had died "several days" after suffering a brain hemorrhage, and indicated on the death certificate that the cause of death was a "cerebral vascular accident," a stroke. [...]

Cooley accompanied the body back to San Luis Obispo. At the Reis Chapel, a tasteful white adobe building with a red pantile roof on Nipomo Street, he asked Mrs Reis if arrangements could be made for an 'immediate cremation'. He presented a death certificate signed by a Gene Denk of Los Angeles certifying the cause of death as cerebral haemorrhage and a certificate of religious belief forbidding an autopsy. It was not until Mrs Reis looked at the documents that she realized the body lying in her chapel was that of L. Ron Hubbard.

L. Ron Hubbard, a science fiction writer whose often embattled Church of Scientology has grown to at least 2 million members during its three decades, has died at age 74, Scientology officials say.

Hubbard, who had not been seen in public since 1980, died of a stroke Friday at his ranch near San Luis Obispo, Heber Jentzsch, president of the Church of Scientology International, said Monday night.

Hubbard's ashes were scattered at sea Sunday, after his body was examined by the San Luis Obispo County coroner's office, Scientology officials said.

SEA ORGANIZATION

FLAG ORDER 3879
19 January 1986

THE SEA ORG & THE FUTURE

I, LRH, Commodore, am hereby assuming the rank of ADMIRAL.

The rank of COMMODORE IS RETIRED FROM ACTIVE SERVICE in the Sea Organization at this time. As we move on up the track the Commodore rank will be reinstated as will be needed.

A new rank of LOYAL OFFICER is created directly above the rank of Captain.

Pat Broeker is hereby promoted to the first LOYAL OFFICER rank.

Annie Broeker is hereby promoted as the second LOYAL OFFICER.

There are several Sea Org Officers they will want to promote.

The SEA ORGANIZATION will always be the Sea Organization, no matter that we may leave the surface of this planet when we're finished and operate on others (hopefully not too many devoid of seas — joke) and no matter what we will operate, in general, throughout the universe — solid, liquid, gaseous, and yes, — there are other states of matter, which are ours for the taking because nobody else seems to know about them.

I'll be scouting the way and doing the first port survey missions. I expect your continuing backup. You've got a little under a billion left on your current hitch, and it is hoped you will sign up again — veterans are valuable!

So, there it is. You know what to do. You know how to do it. Hold the form of the S.O.! You've got the watch!!

I will be in comm.

We will meet again later.

L. RON HUBBARD
ADMIRAL